Chapter 2
Not long ago, Naruto had graced this training ground as an idiot who only thought about being better than Sasuke and trying to look good in front of Sakura.
The former had grown to be envious of his growth, so much that he decided to join Orochimaru and then attempt to kill him; the latter had never loved him, she had turned him down day and night, no matter how hard he had tried.
Unrequited love was surely a bitter bitch.
Well, at least he could exchange some notes with Jiraiya about the pains of the heart. Jiraiya's time was much more miserable. He had been young and naïve, but it couldn't have been at a difficult time for him; Being rejected so brutally, when he was alone, when he was trying so hard to be loved and to be appreciated.
He was past those naïve days though. He would no longer foolishly pursue things that could not get his hands on no matter what he tried.
Besides, these days he was in it for something much bigger. It was safe to say that he had discarded his personal desires for something much bigger. He wanted to give his life a purpose, and he would give it that purpose. He just needed the time and enough courage to do what he needed to do.
Naruto glanced around the training ground he had shared so many memories with people he had considered as friends, and family. He had been here a day ago with the new Team 7, but, this time, it was a little different. He wasn't here on anyone's order; he was here because he wanted to test something.
It had nothing to do with anyone, but his own ideals and what he wanted to see from these people that he called friends. He wasn't just going to see what Kiba could do. He wasn't that of an arrogant person, but the Inuzuka wasn't someone who could give him a challenge – he needed something much stronger to be challenged.
He was, nevertheless, not here because he was looking for a challenge, but just wanted to see if these people were as strong as they made themselves to be.
They had graduated to higher ranks than he had. He was still just a mere genin and they had higher ranks. Kiba was exploding about how being ranked higher than him meant he was stronger. It was a false impression, Naruto knew and he was going to prove it to the Inuzuka.
"Are you going to just space out all day?" Kiba demanded from Naruto.
The black haired was becoming slightly impatient with the blond Uzumaki. Naruto was clearly lost in his thought, but Kiba didn't have all day. He wanted to show off and then go off to do something else. He had duties to attend and missions to attend. He still had his team meeting even.
"Don't tell me that you're having second thoughts?" Kiba asked with a grin. "If you're afraid of fighting, we can call it quits."
Truth be told, although, Kiba was confident about his abilities, he was a little nervous. Naruto hadn't been as skilled as Sasuke or Neji, but he had the power to fight off those two. He had won against a prodigy and he now looked completely different from the way he was back then.
Naruto's eyes fell on Kiba for a moment with nothing in them. He then smiled. "You don't frighten me Kiba." Naruto said calmly. "I'm a little glad that everyone else is here. You are all my friends, and I want to test something; I want to know if you are really strong enough to stand what is about to come."
Shikamaru grew curious the moment Naruto said those words, with that mysterious tone. Perhaps he was feeling something in the air, but he felt there had been a chill that went down his spine when Naruto spoke. The blond was talking about something that neither of them knew. He wanted to know what it was that Naruto was talking about, because the blond looked serious.
